Geoff MacLellan, also the MLA for Glace Bay, provided an update on the process for reporters following a cabinet meeting in Membertou on Wednesday.

MacLellan had said work was underway to ensure a request for proposals will be issued early this year, adding things have proceeded according to schedule.

“Obviously, with the nature of this (request for proposals), there’s a lot of environmental concerns with the Scatarie, with exactly how we remove this wreck from the shore,” MacLellan said.

Much care has gone into properly crafting the request for proposals, he said, noting the province has worked with its federal counterparts as part of the process.

“This is very delicate, so we have to put the right pieces in place and progress as quickly as possible,” MacLellan said. “We’re at that point now, the joint committee will have a meeting Friday and from that point on we’ll know exactly where the (request for proposals) is. The expectation for the release of the (request for proposals) into the international system for procurement is three weeks.”

It's hoped a successful bidder will be selected soon and that the cleanup will proceed as soon as weather permits.

MacLellan noted Scaterie Island is a delicate environment, a provincially protected wilderness area and also important to the commercial fishing industry, so they want to make sure all issues are carefully considered.

He added he's optimistic the work will be concluded prior to the start of lobster fishing in May.

The province will take the lead removing the MV Miner but it is hoping there is a tie-in with federal jurisdiction so the cost could be shared.

MacLellan stressed the province has committed to the cleanup.

“How we figure out how the bill is paid is part of those ongoing discussions,” he said. “For us, we have to make sure this is done right, it’s done in a timely fashion and then after that point we will talk to the federal government with respect to some of the ways the feds can help out.”

The province isn’t a fiscal position to shoulder that cost, MacLellan said, noting it wasn’t a provincial responsibility. He added he has reached out to federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt to set up a meeting for later this month.

MacLellan has also said he wants to see federal shipping laws that protect Nova Scotia against a repeat of the MV Miner situation where a derelict ship lands off the coastline with no apparent protection for the nearby communities or the province.

He didn't know how long it will take to get rid of the MV Miner but said it should be as soon as possible.

Estimates of the cost of removing the vessel are difficult to judge, given that they have ranged from between $3 million and $5 million on the low end, to $25 million on the high end.

Fishermen and other local residents living in Cape Breton coastal communities near Scaterie Island appealed to both the former NDP provincial government and the federal government without success for the removal of the derelict vessel, which has been breaking apart while being battered by the ocean.

A New York-based company attempted to salvage the MV Miner before walking away from the job, blaming government bureaucratic hurdles.

This is an absolutely crazy waste of money for so many reasons. Number one, as the Minister says, the province can't afford to remove it! Then why, with such a blatant admission, is the Government going ahead? Second, the wreck of the Miner is 100% a federal responsibility. They inspected and approved the tow, they are responsible for navigation in Canada and they have more resources, both financially and in planning to get the wreck removed. Walk away, Mr. MacLellan…walk away!

Not a nickle of public money should go to that wreck. Not costing us a dime as she is. And to repeat ' MV Miner pose no threat to navigation or the environment'. Surely there are better things to spend money on?

Aren't there hungry mouths to feed somewhere in the province? Schools to be funded?
Seems a waste of government resources to remove this wreck, but government officials never tire of wasting our scarce dollars.